Dawgs And Cougs Ready For 115th Boeing Apple Cup

THE GAME: The Washington football team (11-0, 8-0 Pac-12) closes out the 2023 regular season with the 115th edition of the Apple Cup, proudly presented by Boeing, vs. Washington State (5-6, 2-6). UW, ranked No. 4 in the AP Top 25 and No. 5 in the coaches poll, have already clinched a spot in the 2023 Pac-12 Football Championship Game, Dec. 1 in Las Vegas, where the Huskies will face either Oregon or Arizona. Kickoff this Saturday is set for 1:00 p.m. PT, and the game will air live on FOX television.
 
QUICK HITTERS: On Nov. 19, it was announced that UW and WSU will face each other in each of the next five seasons, at least ... Washington is 22-2 overall under head coach Kalen DeBoer, whose career head coaching record is now 101-11 ... DeBoer is 30-1 in November ... UW is 11-0 for just the second time in school history ... the Huskies lead the nation in passing offense and are No. 8 in total offense ... UW is also No. 8in the nation in punt return defense (1.8 per return) and rank No. 9 in kick return defense (15.1 per return) ... over 24 games as a Husky, Michael Penix Jr. has notched five of the top-10 single-game passing yards marks in UW history, including his first three games this season (473 vs. Michigan State – 3rd; 450 vs. Boise State – 6th; 409 vs. Tulsa – 10th) ... in less than two seasons, Penix is up to third in UW history in career TD passes, with 61 ... he has thrown multiple TDs in 19 of his 24 games at UW ... his 8,336 career yards rank him 4th at UW ... through 10 games, Penix is No. 1 in FBS passing yards and pass yards per game, No. 3 in total offense, No. 3 in pass TDs and No. 11 in pass efficiency ... four different UW receivers – Jalen McMillan, Rome Odunze, Ja'Lynn Polk and Germie Bernard (2) – have scored a rushing TD so far this season ... prior to this season, UW had had just eight games in its history in which two players had 100 receiving yards (including two last year) ... this season, that has happened in 5 games ... Penix is currently No. 1 in the nation in pass plays of 10-plus (148 plays)  ... UW enters the week with the nation's second-longest active winning streak among FBS teams, with 18 victories in a row ... only Georgia, with a 18-game run, has a longer active streak ... the win streak is the third-longest in UW history, after 40 (1908-16) and 22 (1990-92) ... not counting the 4-game 2020 season, the Huskies have won 10 or more games in 5 of the last 7 seasons.
 
TELEVISION: The Boeing Apple Cup will air on FOX, with Jason Benetti, Brock Huard and Allison Williams calling the action. Fans will with the proper subscription can also stream at foxsports.com/live .
 
RADIO:  All Washington football games will air on the Washington Sports Network from Learfield, with Tony Castricone (play by play), former Husky tight end Cameron Cleeland (analyst) and former UW basketball player Elise Woodward (sidelines) on the call. Radio coverage begins four hours before kickoff on the network's flagship station – Seattle's SportsRadio KJR 93.3 FM – with "Husky Gameday" live from The Zone for Husky home games. Statewide coverage on the 17-station Washington Sports Network begins two hours before kickoff. The entire broadcast is available worldwide on the Huskies Gameday mobile app and the Varsity app. The UW broadcast of this game will also air on Sirius/XM channel 83. Learfield Radio will also have a national radio broadcast with Chris Hassel & Mike Golic Jr. on the call.
 
HUSKIES vs. COUGARS HISTORY:  The Washington-Washington State series dates back to 1900, when the teams played to a 5-5 tie in Seattle. Washington holds a commanding 75-33-6 edge in the 114-game series, including a 42-16 record in Apple Cup games (1963-present). The UW is 42-16-5 against WSU in games played in Seattle, Washington is 13-7 in games played in WSU's Martin Stadium as the first UW-WSU game wasn't played there until 1982. UW is 33-15-1 in away games in the series, including games played in both Spokane and Pullman. The Huskies have won 18 of the last 24 Apple Cups, and had a seven-game win streak broken in 2021. No Apple Cup was played in 2020 due to the pandemic. It was the first break in the series since World War II, when WSU didn't field a team for two seasons (1943-44).
 
Last year in Pullman, UW out-scored WSU, 16-0, in the fourth quarter in a 51-33 win. Michael Penix Jr. passed for 485 yards and three TDs, while Wayne Taulapapa rushed for 126. In 2021 in Seattle, the Cougars broke a seven-game losing streak in the series, with a 40-13 win at Husky Stadium. In 2019 in Seattle, an efficient Washington offense led the way in a 31-13 Husky win. Jacob Eason was 15-for-22 for 241 yards and a TD. WSU passed for 308 yards and gained 27 first downs, but rushed for only 31 and scored just one touchdown. In 2018, Washington won, 28-15, in snowy Pullman, limiting the high-flying WSU offense to just 237 yards. Myles Gaskin's 80-yard TD run was the highlight. In 2017 in Seattle, the Huskies built a 34-0 lead en route to a 41-14 win as  Gaskin rushed for 192 yards and four TDs on 25 carries. In 2016 in Pullman, Jake Browning completed 22-of-29 passes for 292 yards and three TDs and the UW led 28-3 after one quarter, in a 45-17 UW win. In 2015,  Gaskin ran for 138 yards and two TDs, and the Huskies got interception returns for scores from Sidney Jones and Azeem Victor in a 45-10 win.
 
In 2014 in the Palouse, Dwayne Washington rushed for 135 yards, including TD runs of 60 and 51 yards, to lead the UW to a 31-13 win. The Huskies held the Cougars scoreless until five minutes into the fourth quarter. In 2013 in Seattle, the Huskies overcame a 10-3 halftime deficit in a 27-17 victory. Bishop Sankey led the Dawgs with 200 rushing yards on 34 carries while Keith Price completed 15-of-20 for 181 yards.
 
In 2012 in Pullman, WSU overcame an 18-point deficit in the fourth quarter to force overtime, then won 31-28 in OT. In 2011 at CenturyLink Field, the UW won, 38-21, behind 291 yards and three TD passes from Price. In 2010, Washington beat the Cougars, 35-28, in a tightly-contested game in Pullman. The winning score came on a 27-yard pass from Jake Locker to Jermaine Kearse with 44 seconds remaining. In 2009, the Huskies posted the first Apple Cup shutout since 1964 with a 30-0 win over the Cougars at Husky Stadium, breaking a two-game losing streak in the series.
 
In 2008 in Pullman, the Cougars prevailed, 16-13, in double overtime. The year before at Husky Stadium, Alex Brink passed for 399 yards and hit Brandon Gibson with a pair of fourth-quarter TDs to lead WSU to a 42-35 win. The Huskies broke another two-game losing streak with a 35-32 win in Pullman in 2006. In 2005 at Martin Stadium, the Cougars beat the Dawgs, 28-25, behind a solid performance from Brink, who threw for two TDs and ran for another.
 
Before that, in 2003, UW pulled a third-straight upset (by AP ranking) in the series when an unranked Husky team notched a 27-19 win over No. 8 Washington State. In 2002 in Pullman, in a game that surely ranks as one of the most memorable ever in the series, Washington shocked the No. 3 Cougars with a triple-overtime, 29-26 win, despite trailing by 10 with only 4:30 to play. In 2001, when the two teams met at Husky Stadium, the 16th-ranked Huskies upset the No. 9 Cougars with a 26-14 win. 
 
APPLE CUP FACTS: A few notes on the Apple Cup, proudly presented by Boeing:
• This year's game will be the 115th meeting between UW and WSU. The Huskies lead 75-33-6. The series began in 1900, when the teams played to a 5-5 tie.
• The UW-WSU game wasn't called the "Apple Cup" until 1963. Prior to 1963, the two teams played for the Governor's Trophy (1931-62).
• Washington has played just 12 overtime games in its history (overtime didn't start until 1996 in college football). Four of those 12 games have come against WSU: 1996 (UW win), 2002 (UW win), 2008 (WSU win), 2012 (WSU win).
• The last seven times that the Cougars were ranked in the AP top 25  heading into an Apple Cup, the Huskies have won the game (2001-02-03-15-16-17-18).
• The Huskies have never lost more than two games in a row to WSU. On the other hand, UW has had 9 streaks of three or more wins in the series.
• From 1955 through 1981, the Apple Cup was played in Seattle (odd-numbered years) or Spokane (even-numbered years), rather than Seattle and Pullman.
 
DAWGS AND THE NORTHWEST:  Washington's most-played rivalries are against the other three other northwest Pac-12 schools. The Huskies have faced Washington State 114 times, Oregon in 115 games and Oregon State on 107 occasions. Washington owns the advantage in all three series. The Huskies lead the Ducks 62-48-5, Washington State 75-33-6 and Oregon State 68-35-4. Combined, Washington has a 205-116-15 (.632) record against its northwest rivals. Washington has played all three of the Northwest teams in a season on 93 prior occasions. Over those 93 seasons in which Oregon, OSU and WSU were all on the UW schedule, the Dawgs have swept all three 31 times. In the meantime, the Huskies have lost to all three in the same season on only eight occasions.
 
SPECIAL TEAMS EXCELLENCE: Through 10 games, Washington is No. 8 in the nation in punt return defense, having allowed an average of 1.8 yards in returns over the season. UW is also No. 9 in FBS in kick return defense (15.1 yds. per return).
 
EXPERIENCE AND YOUTH: Washington's current roster includes a total of 34 players – 17 each on offense and defense – who have started at least one game for the Huskies prior to 2023. Entering the year, the 17 offensive players had totaled 145 starts in the Purple & Gold, while the 17 defensive players (which includes former offensive line starter Ulumoo Ale) had 156 starts between them. Tight end Devin Culp entered the 2023 season with the highest total of starts under is belt among offensive players, with 18, while safety zx0Asa Turner, with 23 career starts entering 2023, led the defensive side. The list of Dawgs with starting experience doesn't take into account the 10 current Huskies who transferred to UW after having started at another four-year college, nor does it account for starting "specialists." Washington 119-man roster entering the year included just 15 players in their final year of eligibility, along with 29 true freshmen, 15 redshirt freshmen, 35 sophomores and 25 juniors. Potentially, 104 current Huskies could return for 2024, while 79 enter the 2023 season with three or more years of eligibility remaining.
 
GRADUATED DAWGS: The 2023 Washington football roster includes 23 players who have earned their bachelor's degree. Here are those 23, alphabetically: Ulomoo Ale, Jacob Bandes, Julius Buelow, Devin Culp, Troy Fautanu, Drew Fowler, Ralen Goforth, Dominique Hampton, Antonio Hill, Giles Jackson, Tuli Letuligasenoa, Matteo Mele, Quentin Moore, Dylan Morris, Jabbar Muhammad, Richard Newton, Michael Penix Jr., Faatui Tuitele, Zion Tupuola-Fetui, Alphonzo Tuputala, Asa Turner, Edefuan Ulofoshio, and Jack Westover.
 
LONG PLAYS: Washington has notched 74 scrimmage plays of 20 or more yards over its first 11 games, the fourth-highest total in the nation. UW is also No. 4 in the nation with 35 plays of 30 yards or more. Those totals include 59 passes of 20 or more yards, and 28 of 30 or more, from quarterback Michael Penix Jr. Those totals are No. 2 and 3 in the nation. Penix also leads FBS with 141 completions of 10 yards or more, 20 more than the next closest QB. Additionally, Rome Odunze is second in the nation with 51 receptions of 10-plus and is second with 23 of 20-plus yards, while Ja'Lynn Polk has 16 20-plus yard receptions (17th in the nation). Meanwhile, UW's defense has allowed 44 plays of 20 or more yards this season, 30 fewer than the Husky offense has had. UW has allowed just six rushing plays of 20-plus yards.
 
Last year, Washington finished the season with 62 passing plays for 20 or more yards, tied for eighth-most in the nation (five teams that ranked higher played more games than UW's 13). Washington led the nation last year with 193 pass plays for 10 or more yards.
 
10-0 START: Washington is 11-0 for just the second time in school history. The only other 10-0 start came in 1991, when the Huskies went 12-0 and won the national title. UW had a number of unbeated and untied seasons in its early history, but in none of those seasons did Washington play as many as 11 games.
 
TWO 100-YARD RECEIVERS IN A GAME: Prior to the start of this season, Washington had had just eight games in its history with two players finishing with 100 or more receiving yards (including two such games last year). So far this season, UW has had two players with 100 receiving yards in five of 11 games:
                  vs. Boise State: Rome Oduzne (132) & Ja'Lynn Polk (101)
                  vs. Tulsa: Jalen McMillan (120) & Odunze (107)
                  at Michigan State: Odunze (180) & Polk (118)
                  vs. California: Polk (127) & Odunze (125)
                  vs. Oregon: Odunze (128) & Polk (118)
 
Additionally, last year, Odunze was the first Husky ever to record four straight 100-yard games. In the first four games of 2023, he matched that streak.
 
CONFERENCE MOVES: Along with USC, UCLA and Oregon, the Huskies will move to the Big Ten Conference after this coming academic year (2023-24) and will play a Big Ten schedule in 2024. Four other current Pac-12 programs – Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah – will join the Big 12 Conference in 2024-25; while Stanford and California will join the ACC. Washington has been a member of what is now the Pac-12 since the inception of the league, in 1915. Only the UW and California have/had been members in every year since. The UW football team has won a league title in every decade  since the 1910s, other than the 2020s – the Dawgs will have one last chance to extend that streak this year.
 
ALASKA AIRLINES FIELD AT HUSKY STADIUM: The Oregon game on Nov. 5, 2011, marked the final game in Husky Stadium prior to major renovations that were completed in summer, 2013. The Huskies re-opened their home field with a 38-6 win over then-No. 19 Boise State on Aug. 31, 2013. The 2023 season marks the 103rd season of play in Husky Stadium. Original construction on the facility was completed in 1920 when Washington played one game in the new campus facility. UW's all-time record in Husky Stadium stands at 412-185-21 (.684). Washington is 56-16 in home games since the stadium re-opened in 2013. The Huskies have won their last 13 at home.